Former deputy charged in fatal shooting of his wife at their South Carolina home

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A former sheriff's deputy in South Carolina has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of his 24-year-old wife at their home.

Authorities said that when officers arrived Saturday night at the couple's North Augusta home, 23-year-old Matthew Blakley ran out with blood on his hands, identifying himself as a deputy and saying that he had accidentally shot his wife.

A police report says that officers found his wife, Candace Blakley, in a bathtub bleeding from the head and that another man in the home had tried to do CPR.

Officers say they found a rifle, shell casing and broken wedding ring on the bathroom floor.

Matthew Blakely was fired Sunday after seven months as a deputy for Aiken County. A phone call to him was not returned Monday. It wasn't known whether he had a lawyer to contact for comment on the case.